TDS Desk:

Former IGP Benazir Ahmed and his family members withdrew Tk 12.73 crores from Community Bank and Sonali Bank in 8 days before leaving the country, informed Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in the progress report prepared for the High Court (HC).

ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan is scheduled to submit this report to the HC bench of Justice Md. Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Kazi Ebadoth Hossain on Monday (July 29).

On April 22, the ACC started investigating the assets of Benazir Ahmed and his family at home and abroad. This investigation showed that Benazir and his family members withdrew Tk 12.73 crores from Community Bank and Sonali Bank in 8 days from April 23 to April 30.

Benazir Ahmed, his wife Zeeshan Mirza, daughter Farheen Rishta Binte Benazir, Mirza Tahsin Raisa Binte Benazir, and Zahra Zareen Binte Benazir were in the country till May 3. The next day, they left for Singapore.

ACC’s progress report mentions that the information on transactions of billions of takas is available in 116 banks in the name of Benazir and his family members. It also contains information on many unusual transactions. Bank accounts include current, savings, fixed deposits, and foreign exchange accounts.

The inquiry reviewed the accounts of Benazir and his family members at the corporate branch of the Community Bank. It has been seen that a huge amount of money has been withdrawn from those accounts quickly from the day after the ACC investigation began.

Benazir and his family members have withdrawn Tk 12,73,78,968 from the current accounts of Community Bank and Sonali Bank in eight days from April 23 to April 30. Out of this, Tk 6,52,78,968 was withdrawn from three accounts of the Community Bank corporate branch between April 23 to April 29. This money was withdrawn from one account of Benazir Ahmed, one from his wife, and one from his elder daughters in this bank.

Besides, Tk 3 crores on April 29 and Tk 3.7 crores on April 30 were withdrawn from the current account of Southern Business Initiative from the local branch of Sonali Bank. Moreover, Tk 14 lakh was withdrawn on April 30 from the current account of Savanna Farm Products owned by Benazir.

As per ACC investigation, there are land, houses, flats, plots, resorts and bungalows in the names of Benazir Ahmed, his wife and three daughters in Dhaka District, Dhaka Metropolis, Narayanganj, Gopalganj, Madaripur, Gazipur, Cox’s Bazar, and Khulna. On the petition of the ACC investigation officer, the Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge ordered the seizure and freezing of their known non-income assets of Tk 43,46,72,152 in four phases.

The progress report states that Benazir Ahmed earned Tk 1,84,89,000 in terms of salary and allowance during his working period. But with the abuse of power, irregularities and corruption during his service, he became the owner of thousands of crores of takas.

A special ACC team is probing the allegations against Benazir and his family members for acquiring wealth beyond known income. Led by ACC head office’s deputy director Md. Hafizul Islam, the other two members are assistant directors Muhammad Zainal Abedin and Muhammad Neamul Ahsan Gazi. ACC Director (Money Laundering) Golam Shahriar Chowdhury is supervising the investigation.